The present disclosure generally relates to spring cushions and more particularly, to spring cushions including flat springs to provide resilient support to a user thereof to enhance the comfort of the cushion. The flat springs generally have an arcuate shape, e.g., an elliptical or parabolic shape and are paired to provide vertical displacement.
Various constructions of cushions for use in seating, sofas, mattresses, and the like have evolved very little in the past fifty years. For example, a standard mattress generally includes a set of metal coil springs mounted either on a base under a foam pad, or sandwiched between a pair of foam pads. The metal springs and foam pad or pads are then covered with a batting material. The entire structure is then sewn into a cloth cover and the edges are wrapped and sewn.
The limitations of metal coil spring mattresses combined with improved quality and durability of foam products has led to the relatively recent development of the foam core mattress as a viable alternative to the coil spring mattress. A foam core mattress can provide significant improvements in body contour, elimination of pressure points, and improved comfort and support compared to conventional spring-based mattresses. A basic foam mattress typically includes one or more layers of foam having desirable properties assembled into a fabric cover which often appears identical to a standard coil metal spring mattress. A foam mattress may include a center core of relatively high resilience foam sandwiched between two layers of lower resilience foam encased in a fabric shell. This construction allows for a reversible mattress.
While foam cushions such as the mattress described above overcome some of the disadvantages of coil spring cushions, they can exhibit other disadvantages including excessive firmness, difficulty adjusting the firmness, and a lack of air flow through the foam core trapping body heat within the cushion. There is, therefore, a continuing need for improved cushion designs overcoming the disadvantages of coil spring and foam cushions.